Page 35 of Hidden Fates

“Look.” Skye holds the carrier closer to his face, letting him peek inside. “Isn’t she the cutest?”

“She is,” he grits out, his mouth set in a hard line before his eyes narrow on me. “I thought we agreed no pets.”

It’s my turn to glare as she pulls Mochi close and her shoulders fall. “Dude,” I mouth, pointedly looking at Skye who stares between their feet, bottom lip wobbling.

I can’t tell if she’s genuinely upset for disappointing him or if she’s playing it up to win him over. It works either way. Our behemoth pack Alpha melts, a hand running through his red-tipped hair.

“You really want her?” he asks, leaning down to see Skye’s face.

She shakes her head. “I should have gotten everyone’s input first.”

Onyx takes the carrier from her hands, careful not to jostle Mochi as he pulls our mate against his body. “They won’t care, bubbles. I just don’t want to over-stress the animal when we have to go out on the road.”

“Actually,” I cut in, smirking as I pop the trunk and grab bags of food and toys, “as long as we never put Mochi in the cargo area of a plane and we monitor the temperature of her environment, she can go anywhere we go.”

He rolls his eyes, pressing a kiss to the top of Skye’s head and steering her into the house. “Go show your other mates while I help this brat carry her things in.”

When she’s out of view, his face goes stony and he backs me against the car. “You better hope that thing survives every tour for the next ten years, Bee. It will break her heart if you’re wrong and traveling kills it.”

I swallow thickly. Fuck, he’s so hot when he gets all growly like this. Even when his anger is directed at me.

“You gonna punish me, Alpha?”

He taps my hip to get me moving. “No. Watching her break will be worse than any punishment I could come up with.”

He isn’t wrong about that.

Skye is sitting on the floor upstairs when we find her; Mochi in her lap “I thought we could build her cage out here. Set it up like the zoomie area at the sanctuary. Make it a rectangle against this wall.” She points to the end of the hall where there is a small alcove between our bedroom doors.

Based on the shelves and empty poster frames, I imagine Quentin had planned to show off her awards here, but I like the idea of it being a guinea pig home instead.

We don’t need constant reminders of our success when we are blessed to experience them every day.

Emmett wanders out of his bedroom, a pair of thin-framed glasses on his face as he reads from a worn book. He glances up when he hears us unpacking the plastic holding the cage pieces together.

“Hey.” His brows shoot up at the overflow of pet supplies in Onyx’s and my hands. “What’s that?”

Skye points to her lap, where Mochi’s head is peeking out of her hoodie pocket. “Meet my new sidekick.” Her grin is infectious; the sight of it makes his lips twitch in response. “Our first pack baby.”

“First?”

“Well, the woman at the sanctuary did say they love having other guinea pigs to play with,” she chatters, biting back a laugh when Onyx groans. “Don’t worry, Alpha. She’s not ready to share my attention yet.”

Moving down the hall, I set the cage pieces by my bedroom door and get to work. It’s fairly simple to put together, which is good because none of us are talented at building things.

Emmett jumps in, pointing out the differences in the pieces that I hadn’t noticed and saving me from having to tear it all apart.

Twenty minutes and a few choice swear words later, and it’s ready to be decorated. “Okay, dandelion, you’re up. I’ll hand you pieces and you put them where Mochi wants them. Em, can you fill the water bottle for us?”

I pass the box to him, and start unpacking the rest. Onyx leans against the wall behind me, silently watching as our mate whispers to her new pet and places her toys.

When Skye finally places Mochi inside, the tiny critter sets off for the hay holder, ready to eat and explore her new home.

My mate’s stomach rumbles, her cheeks heating as she turns. “Mochi has the right idea.”

At the top of the stairs, she pauses, one hand on my chest. “Thank you, Bellamy. For making my day better, and for being a brat with me.”

Pushing onto her toes, her lips press to mine. I groan, wrapping myself around her as I deepen it, licking into her mouth. “I’ll go brat mode anytime you want. All day, every day.”